A lot of the free agent chatter this offseason in the American League will surround the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays. So far, the Blue Jays and Red Sox have made additions to their starting rotations.
As for the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays, they are not expected to be big players much in the free agent market. Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez were the two biggest free-agent arms available. The Blue Jays already made a big move in landing Cease. That leaves Valdez as the best arm remaining in a thin free-agent class.
Valdez is going to command a big contract, and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had a stunning prediction on where he might end up. He has him going to the AL East, but not with a team you might think of as a perfect free agent signing.
Framber Valdez Listed as a Perfect Free Agent Fit For the Orioles
Valdez has been linked to several teams this offseason. In terms of the Orioles, not many people have them on their bingo card in terms of landing him. That’s why Feinsand’s prediction is rather eye-opening.
“Baltimore has already added a bat (Taylor Ward) and a reliever (Ryan Helsley), but the Orioles need starting pitching as badly as any team in the Majors, putting them in the market for the top arms. Valdez is the oldest of the bunch (he’s entering his age-32 season), but he has the longest track record, has postseason experience, and could sign for fewer years than some of the others,” Feinsand wrote.
Last week, Baltimore landed Helsley in free agency. He was someone who multiple teams were looking at. Helsley is a rare pitcher that teams could see making an impact as either a starter or reliever. He agreed to a two-year, $28 million contract.
As for Valdez, this would be a rather bold move. Signing him keeps him away from the rest of the teams in the division and the Astros. It is unlikely he returns to Houston, and he would be the front-end starter the Orioles need.
Will the Orioles Spend Big on Framber Valdez?
Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball predicted that Valdez would get a five-year, $160 million contract this offseason. That might be a steep price for Baltimore to pay.
This past season for Houston, Valdez went 13-11 in 31 starts with a 3.66 ERA. In 192 innings pitched, he struck out 187, walking 68, and finished with a 1.24 WHIP.
Baltimore president of baseball operations Mike Elias made it known at the General Managers’ Meetings a couple of weeks ago that the Orioles intend to spend this offseason. They have landed a bat in Ward already and a bullpen arm in Helsley. Now they turn to the starting pitching market.
If the Orioles are going to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season, they’ll have to spend on a starting arm. With Valdez, they could look to go with a lower-term deal, something Feinsand hinted at. Signing Valdez would be a big splash that Baltimore needs if they are going to contend in a loaded AL East in 2026 and beyond.
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